In the field of haircare, problems of breakage may arise for the hair, especially for certain types of hair such as African hair. These problems of breakage generally arise during a simple mechanical treatment, for instance brushing, combing or smoothing, this mechanical treatment also possibly being performed during or after cosmetic treatments, for instance relaxing, shampooing, dyeing or permanent-waving of the hair. However, there is not at the present time any preventive treatment that is effective in preventing or limiting this problem, either on natural or treated hair.
Treatments with aqueous solutions of a humectant, such as glycerol, glycerol combined with urea, a poly(acrylic acid), dimethyl sulfoxide (or DMSO) and a poly(acrylic acid) combined with DMSO, have been described in the article published in J. Soc. Cosmet. Chem. 36, January/February 1985, 39-52. These treatments, and especially those based on poly(acrylic acid) or glycerol, have proved to be effective in improving the mechanical strength of Negroid hair and in reducing its level of premature breakage, i.e. its level of breakage for small elongations.